Adolescent Health Programme Associate (HIV/AIDS)

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF NAM organization mission TBD

Context

The UNICEF Namibia Country Office was established in 1990 and is aligned to the United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF 2019-2023) and contributes to national development priorities and Strategic Development Goals (SDG)s. The programme takes an integrated, rights-based approach to child and adolescent development to ensure that every Namibian child survives and thrives. This contributes fundamentally to the mission of UNICEF to promote the rights of every child in everything that we do. The four key programme approaches include child survival and development, adolescent development and participation, improving child friendly environments and programme effectiveness. The life cycle approach allows for integrated multisectoral programming and services to support child survival and development in the first decade of life and focuses on adolescent development and participation in the second decade of life. Child survival and development will ensure that all Namibian children from the age of 0 to 10 have improved access to healthcare, early childhood development, civil registration, and water, sanitation and hygiene services. Adolescent development and participation ensure adolescents have access to quality basic education, HIV prevention, especially focusing on epidemic drivers, protection from all forms of violence, and meaningful civic participation aimed at advancing adolescents and young people in decision-making process and strengthening agency. By improving child friendly environments, vulnerable children will have better access to equitable and efficient social protection benefits to reduce poverty. Interventions to improve child friendly environments will assure Namibian vulnerable children and adolescents are learning, healthy, developing and participating in an environment free from violence, exploitation, abuse and the impacts of climate change. The UNV will be part of the Adolescent Development and Participation (ADAP) team, which consists of an Adolescent Development Specialist, Education Specialist, Child Protection Specialist, Adolescent Development Officer (UNV) guided and supported by a Chief of ADAP and Programme Associate, and will also coordinate closely with the CSD team, specifically the health and HIV specialists. The United Nations Volunteer assignment will focus on adolescent HIV and AIDS related projects and will work closely with Government counterparts, such as the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC). The UNV will also closely work with existing structures at national and regional levels in order to advocate and advance the agenda of adolescents and young people’s meaningful engagement and participation in health programming. These include the Regional AIDS Coordinating Committees and Constituency AIDS Coordinating Committees and School Health Task Force structures for example. The assignment will include support to a). ongoing programme activities, b). dissemination and roll out of key guidance and tools such as the recently developed Meaningful Engagement Toolkit, Linkages and Referrals Framework (including Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), HIV, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and revised Adolescent Friendly Health Standards and c). youth-led advocacy for improved adolescent health outcomes.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Adolescent Development Specialist or his/her designated mandated representative(s), the National UN Youth Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
1. Support UNICEF programming with and for adolescents and young people:
• Support adolescent and young peoples’ leadership and engagement in UNICEF’s adolescent programming, with a specific focus on adolescent health, HIV/AIDs;
• Contribute to planning and development of youth engagement initiatives related to HIV, targeting most vulnerable young people in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Services;
• Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues to collect/analyse/share information on HIV issues, especially related to adolescents and young people and marginalized and vulnerable groups;
• Expand and enhance UNICEF’s collaboration with youth led SRHR and HIV organizations in Namibia;
• Contribute to country office inter-sectoral collaboration on adolescent leadership, engagement, disability inclusion advocacy;
• Support and work collaboratively with the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Civil Society Organizations and Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture to strengthen national youth engagement initiatives such as the teen clubs, health information corners;
• Coordinate adolescent and young peoples’ engagement in the development of the new Country Programme Document to ensure meaningful engagement of adolescents and young people;
• Participate in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies of UNICEF colleagues and partners in disability inclusion, youth engagement and youth-led advocacy.
2. Adolescent and young peoples’ engagement in technical programming:
• Spearhead youth-engagement in the roll out and institutionalization of:
a) The (health sector focused) 2023 Adolescent and Youth Participation Toolkit for Namibia;
b) The 2023 Adolescent Comprehensive Linkages and Referrals framework (including HIV, SRHR, SGBV, mental health);
C) The newly revised Adolescent’s Friendly Health Standards and promoting rights-based approach to implementation;
(these 3 products were developed in 2023 and are planned for roll out in 2024)
3. Coordinate and mobilize youth engagement at regional and national levels:
Support and advocate for adolescent and young peoples’ engagement in national and regional platforms to ensure adolescent health and HIV issues are adequately represented
• Support and strengthen adolescents and young people engagement, especially ALHIV, in key national initiatives and events;
• Participate as a youth advocate in key events;
• Attend national and global forum, youth events and high-level meetings;
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
4. Youth-led content creation and advocacy:
• Prepare social media content, write blogs, opinion pieces about key issues related to adolescent health and HIV and issues that matter to adolescents and young people;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Provide quarterly reports on assignments focusing on actions, results, lessons learned and innovations;
• Any other related tasks as may be required by the supervisor.